tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12954058398815360432017-08-17T19:51:24.142-07:00Twenty Something SceneBrad S Raposohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171017315575487760noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295405839881536043.post-89725057575348362622017-08-09T19:35:00.000-07:002017-08-17T19:30:36.936-07:00First pages of forthcoming young adult novel<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-indent: 36px;"><div class="page" title="Page 6"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 18.000000pt;">A First Crush </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 18.000000pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Bruce Ryyers was somewhere between daydreaming and loosely paying attention to Mrs. Whittaker’s dreadfully boring 5th grade lesson plan. Bruce, a thin boy with straight brown hair, was sitting upright, adjacent from his female classmate’s desk. Bruce overheard a girl’s voice whispering from behind him. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">“I can’t stop thinking of Bruce Ryyers.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Among his classmates were rebellious children providing loud and constant chatter, but Bruce caught every word. His bright green eyes opened up wide as the girl’s flattering remark interrupted his wild imagination. This single statement suddenly ignited a lifelong exuberance that would remain instilled in his young mind. For those were the first kind sentiments Bruce had ever heard by any girl about him. He smiled at the notion that his humble existence had indeed affected someone else’s life. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">That person being a girl that Bruce had known as far back as kindergarten. Her name was Sally. She had short, golden and curly locks that tangled above her shoulders and thick round glasses that fit ever so small upon her youthful, plump cheeks. Sally turned her head to look at Bruce with her eyes goggling as she stared directly at him. A stern Mrs. Whittaker </span></div><div class="column"><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">caught Sally not paying attention and just as she was about to call out Sally’s name, one of the legs of Sally’s chair finally had enough of the burden from her plus-sized weight as it gave way with a striking, pulsing snap. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Immediately Sally went falling backwards, her arms wailing as she fell with her table still attached to the broken chair. The whole classroom erupted into a ferocious laughter that included everyone, except Mrs. Whittaker, who wore a face of astonishment. She felt entirely embarrassed for poor Sally. This was not the girl Bruce would daydream about. In fact she was quite the opposite of that. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Bruce’s attention had always been captured by his vivid imagination, as his teachers over the years had always remarked, including Mrs. Whittaker. However, Bruce never interrupted any of his teachers and would rather draw or create his stories to show his friends. There was hardly any girl able to disrupt his world until the day he met his first crush. Her name was Rachel Summers. Her name was fitting for a girl that seemed to have an outstanding glow around her at all times. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">This was the very morning that Rachel first waltzed into Mrs. Whittaker’s 5th grade class. She was led by the vastly intimidating Assistant Principal, Mr. Reese, down the corridor into her new classroom. As they approached, echoes of the noise could be heard as the class was out of control after poor plump Sally’s fall. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">A puffy, red-faced Miss Whittaker started to snap her fingers and stomp her feet at the head of the class just as Mr. Reese opened the door. Mr. Reese was an incredibly large&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">black, burly-bearded man. He naturally stood out amongst any background. The then unknown Rachel Summers followed walking in behind him.</span></div></div></div><div class="page" title="Page 7"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">“What’s all this commotion? Everybody calm down! </span><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Everyone!</span><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">” Mr. Reese spoke in an invigorated tone. The large man took a few steps toward the middle of the room as the young girl continued to follow him. The laughter immediately subsided. Everyone knew Mr. Reese was a man of strict discipline. He looked over at an embarrassed Miss Whittaker before speaking </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">“You have a new student, ladies and gentlemen. I expect all of you to welcome her and treat her well. Her name is Rachel Summers.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Every boy, including Bruce, took note of the new girl standing at the front of the class. Bruce’s eyes locked onto her as she flashed an impeccable smile. Normally the presence of Mr. Reese would demand attention, but seemingly everyone was captured by their newest classmate. She was wearing a bright aqua shirt and holding a smirk on her face, astonished at what she had just witnessed. Miss Whittaker looked down at her newest student and spoke, ”Sorry you had to see your class act that way.” Miss Whittaker’s face was still a bright reddish tone like that of a ripe tomato. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;goudyoldstylet&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">At that moment a cry echoed out for help, “Can somebody help me up?” A forgotten Sally still laid on the floor attached to her chair that remained connected with her desk. Mr. Reese acted swiftly, “Ooh child!” He marched over with a stern look on his face as he lifted Sally up out of the broken chair with one arm. Sally spoke aloud after she was pried out, “Thank you, Mr. Reese!”&nbsp;</span></div></div></div></div>Brad S Raposohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171017315575487760noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295405839881536043.post-26279607541524615542017-05-18T13:43:00.000-07:002017-08-17T19:30:57.081-07:00Asian food anyone?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Craving an Asian dining experience? Let's explore different areas of Miami that will provide everything you're looking for.</span></span><br /><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you're looking for a great sushi place to go to on a date or with friends...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My favorite place is <b>Sushi Saki</b> at </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">14629 SW 42nd St. Miami, Fl 33185 </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Their website is http://www.sushisakemiami.com/</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Recommended dish: Angel Dish ($12)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'd also recommend&nbsp;<b>Moon</b>, which has several locations in Miami.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://www.moonthai.com/</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Any dish works, but you gotta love their special Thai Donuts to complete any meal!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One place that always has people coming ba</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif; font-size: medium;">ck with their seemingly endless happy hours would be </span><b style="font-family: verdana, serif; font-size: large;">Ra Sushi</b><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif; font-size: medium;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://www.rasushi.com/</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Looking for sushi on the cheap?&nbsp;</span></span><b style="font-family: verdana, serif; font-size: large;">Sushi Ko</b><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif; font-size: medium;"> on 7971 just off Bird Road is a nice place. Lots on the menu as t</span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif; font-size: medium;">hey have better than average sushi and the wait is never that long.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And finally, <b>Sushi Maki</b> on 2334 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sushi Maki is a well-known franchise, but this specific location is the best in the Miami area.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now, you're ready to go. Sushi Miami style. Enjoy!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div>Brad S Raposohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171017315575487760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295405839881536043.post-235475368252961932010-06-07T13:27:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:11:04.238-07:00Prospects ArriveMIAMI - Though the Florida Marlins were just swept by the New York Mets, South Florida can celebrate; their future star has arrived. His name is Mike Stanton and the 6-foot-5, 210-pound top prospect is making his MLB debut for the Marlins in Tuesday's game against the rival Philadelphia Phillies. <div><br /></div><div>Another highly touted debut will take place on Tuesday. <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; font-family:Tahoma, serif;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">Stephen Strasburg<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Tahoma, serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px;font-size:12px;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">making his first MLB start, after months of hype, both franchises will finally see how ready their prospects are. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Strasburg has been touted as an all-around solid pitcher and has dominated his Minor League competition. For the Marlins, Mike Stanton is known for his power, but his Minor League batting average wasn't very good and he also had a high strike out rate. Although, any time Stanton makes contact he can pull it for a huge hit. He'll be playing the outfield and be somewhere in the middle of the batting line up. </div><div><br /></div><div>It'll be interesting to see which player shines in their MLB debut. For the Marlins, this series marks an important NL East showdown with both teams trailing the Atlanta Braves. The NL East is all packed together, where any team that starts to get hot can jump out into first place. This MLB season has been exciting up to this point, but it's just getting warmed up. Which team catches fire and which player makes an immediate impact, only time will tell. </div><div><br /></div><div>-b.r.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Brad S Raposohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171017315575487760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295405839881536043.post-10648645219237506482010-05-18T14:35:00.001-07:002010-05-18T14:35:50.671-07:00Brantley already exceeding expectations for Florida<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; ">Gainesville, Fl- The Florida Gators football team opened up their annual Orange and Blue spring game with a packed audience of over 51,000 fans, on the sidelines was Tim Tebow, for the first time in four years, the Gator offense will no longer have the talent and ability of Tim Tebow. The future starting quarterback of Florida will be John Brantley, who wooed the crowd with his own talent and accurate touch passes. Though the Junior quarterback is hardly out of Tebow's shadow, he was in positive spirits and excelled leading the Orange first team offense to a 27-24 win over the Blue team. "It was fun just to let loose the one time, just get everything out of you." Brantley remarked after the game. The large crowd on hand showed their support of the young quarterback, who has played sparingly in the previous two seasons as the backup, most notably when Tim Tebow suffered a concussion during an SEC show down versus Old Mississippi. "It felt a lot different, just going out there knowing I'm the guy now," Brantley said afterwards. Following in his father's footsteps, John Brantley is going to be able to live out a childhood dream and start at quarterback for the Florida Gators. Many notable returners are back for the Gators as head coach Urban Meyer looks to continue to improve his already outstanding record after four years with the Florida Gators. The Gators have only lost two games in the past two seasons under Meyer, winning his second national title with UF in 2008.</span></span></span>Brad S Raposohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171017315575487760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295405839881536043.post-22544856066423805752010-05-18T13:40:00.000-07:002017-08-17T19:31:42.422-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , serif; font-weight: bold;">This blog is intended for all the twenty something year olds.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><b>The twenty something scene living in Miami, Florida.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot;;"><b>What's there to do in the MIA?&nbsp;</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Brad S Raposohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171017315575487760noreply@blogger.com0